ASK YOUR SCIENCE TEACHER

ANSWER:

Styrofoam is made from crude oil. Styrofoam is more than 95 percent air, which makes it buoyant, lightweight and extremely useful. The most common styrofoam products are coffee cups, egg cartons, meat trays, soup and salad bowls and “peanuts” used in packaging. Styrofoam cushions shipped products without adding much weight. It is a fantastic insulator, resists moisture and remains strong and sturdy over long periods of time.

Styrofoam can be molded and shaped easily, and styrofoam costs less than paper products. Tests prove that the use of disposable styrofoam plates and cups in schools and hospitals prevent diseases. Styrofoam is widely used in the construction industry.

Styrofoam is actually a Dow Chemical trademark. They secured the patent in 1947. Through a complex chemical process known as polymerization, styrene, made from crude oil, is refined into a clear molten mass of polystyrene. If it were left to cool, it would become a hard plastic. This type of polystyrene is what disposable eating utensils are made of.

Before the polystyrene is cooled, a gas agent, known as HCFC (hydrochloroflourocarbon) is dissolved into the polystyrene under immense pressure, which causes the polystyrene to expand. The tiny bubbles of gas are trapped inside, forming a cellular plastic structure. The resulting foam can be formed or shaped as desired.

Styrofoam has taken some knocks over the years. It is made from non-renewable crude oil. It can fill up landfills quickly. The styrofoam industry will tell you that styrofoam makes up less than one percent of the weight of solid waste in a landfill. What they don’t say is that the percent by volume is much higher. By most estimates, styrofoam takes up 25-30 percent of the space in a landfill.

Another disadvantage of styrofoam is that it is not biodegradable. You can’t burn the stuff, as it gives off toxic gases. It also can become a choking hazard to animals. There is some evidence that long-term exposure to styrene products could be a carcinogen, a cancer-causing agent.

Some countries, such as Canada, France, Philippines and Taiwan, have implemented a ban on commercial use of styrofoam. The states of Virginia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Vermont, Maine and Maryland have put restrictions on styrofoam containers. Other states are following their lead. Most states require recycling, and that’s a step in the right direction.

Like so many products in our modern life, styrofoam has both a good side and a bad side. We have to ask ourselves if the advantages and convenience of styrofoam outweigh the disadvantages. Most people would probably say “yes.” Many things we do and use involve compromises of one sort or another.

Reminds me of an article in the newspaper some time ago that said that over the past 20 years, some 800,000 kids in the United States went to the emergency room after swallowing a small object. The fastest-growing item on the list was those button batteries found in remotes, hearing aids, cell phones and toys. Fortunately, nine out of 10 were treated and released without being admitted to a hospital. Coins accounted for 62 percent of the emergencies. Some folks suggested we make coins the size of big cookies, so kids can’t swallow them. But that would destroy the utilitarian value of coins. Who wants to walk around or have a purse laden with coins the size of an Oreo? So, we compromise. We agree as a society that the advantages of using small coins outweigh the disadvantage that some tot might swallow one.